


Beautiful Stranger

by realityisoverrated



Series: Infinite Love [28]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Smoaking billionaires, Toliver, flommy, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-25
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-06-10 15:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6962722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realityisoverrated/pseuds/realityisoverrated
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy and Felicity meet for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beautiful Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> This installment is a prequel of a sort. Since we know how Oliver and Felicity and Oliver and Tommy meet, I thought it only fair to show Felicity and Tommy's first meeting. 
> 
> Thank you for continuing support of this series. 
> 
> I'm not telling this series in chronological order. Some readers have requested that I provide a chronological order for the fics in the series. There is no need to read them in chronological order, but in case you'd like to the list is below.  
> 1\. Beautiful Stranger (Part 28)  
> 2\. The First Time (Part 1)  
> 3\. The Italian Restaurant (Part 3)  
> 4\. Do The Hustle (Part 21)  
> 5\. Wherever You Are, There I Am (Part 8)  
> 6\. Perfect (Part 16)  
> 7\. Practical Jokes and Other Misunderstandings (Part 14)  
> 8\. Cobble Hill (Part 4)  
> 9\. House Warming (Part 15)  
> 10\. Twenty Questions Over Brunch (Part 11)  
> 11\. Hildy (Part 5)  
> 12\. Burgers & Lies (Part 9)  
> 13\. You Say You Want A Revolution (Part 22)  
> 14\. Look Me In The Eye And Make Me Feel The Truth (Part 12)  
> 15\. Fight Night (Part 20)  
> 16\. Into Thin Air (Part 17)  
> 17\. It’s Just Like Falling (Part 27)  
> 18\. Will You Still Love Me, Tomorrow? (Part 7)  
> 19\. Life With The Arrow (Part 23)  
> 20\. Up All Night (Part 6)  
> 21\. Welcome Home (Part 10)  
> 22\. Better Than Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes (Part 24)  
> 23\. Home Is Where You Are (Part 2)  
> 24\. Somebody Get A Hammer (Part 26)  
> 25\. Three (Part 13)  
> 26\. Life Lived In The Tabloids (Part 18)  
> 27\. Tokyo Calling (Part 25)  
> 28\. Prudence Chastity (Part 19) 
> 
> Welcome to any new readers who have stumbled into this universe. The more the merrier.
> 
> Arrow and its characters do not belong to me.

It had been a long night at Verdant and Tommy was ready to go home. Except, he no longer had a home to go to. He’d broken up with Laurel because he believed that it was only a matter of time before she learned that Ollie was the Hood, and he knew that once she knew who her former boyfriend really was, she’d choose Ollie. Tommy had been left by the people he loved his entire life. He’d finally decided to be the one to do the leaving.

Tommy should’ve left hours ago, but he kept finding another reason to stay for five more minutes. He’d told Oliver that he was done with the club, but he couldn’t just walk away without tying up a few loose ends. They had employees to take care of, schedules to set, vendors to pay and Oliver seemed incapable of doing anything other than shooting arrows into people.

He’d resigned himself to living in a hotel for a few days until he figured out what he wanted to do with his life. He was even thinking that maybe he could go work at Merlyn Global for a little bit of time until he got his life together. His dad would be more than happy to take him back if it involved him groveling and admitting to another failure. With a little time and a little space he hoped that he might figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He’d always wanted to live in Italy and was seriously considering it as a location to start over. Tommy had spent a lot of years becoming fluent in Italian and thought it was about time that he put it to good use.

Tommy was halfway across the dance floor when a noise behind the bar made him stop in his tracks. He turned around and stepped behind the bar to find a blonde on all fours. She was wearing her long hair in a frizzy pony tail and she had on a sweater that said, Drama Queen. Her round butt was clad in tight black jeans and swayed in front of his eyes as she searched beneath the counter. _God, help me_ , he thought to himself when he realized that he was staring at her butt. Maybe he wasn’t as heartbroken about Laurel and Oliver as he thought.

“If you’re looking to rob the joint, the night deposit has already been made. There’s no cash back here,” Tommy winced when her head hit the underside of the shelf she was searching.

“Oh,” the beautiful stranger said as she rubbed the top of her head. Using the bar, she pulled herself to a standing position, “I was just looking for an open bottle of wine. I’m willing to bear your first born for a large glass of red,” she said turning bright red as she recognized him. “Which will totally not happen because you’re Oliver’s best friend and dating gorgeous Laurel and I’m clearly an insane woman raiding a bar at two in the morning because I could really use a drink before I go home and sleep for,” she looked around and laughed, “do you know what day it is?”

Tommy was at a loss. He had no idea who the manic woman in glasses was, but she clearly knew who he was, “It’s early Sunday morning.”

“Right,” she snapped her fingers as she tapped her hands together, “Sunday. It’s all been a bit of a blur, but at least it means I don’t need to be at work in five hours.”

“I’m sorry,” Tommy interrupted, “and you are?”

Her eye’s opened wide in alarm, “Oh, right. I forget you don’t know me even though I feel like I know an awful lot about you. Oliver doesn’t talk much, but when he does, it’s frequently about you. In a good way. He likes you. I mean you’re his friend and he’s yours, so it would make sense that he likes you.”

“You know Oliver?” Tommy didn’t think the babbling blonde was Oliver’s type, but he also hadn’t thought that Oliver was the type to murder people either. Much to his surprise, he’d recently learned that what he didn’t know about Oliver Queen could fill the Pacific.

“Yes,” she looked around nervously, “I hooked up your Wifi.”

He grinned as he realized that the tiny and incredibly verbose woman must be the person using all of the computers in the basement. He grinned widely and casually leaned against the bar, “The secret to telling a lie is to not lie about something easily verifiable. For instance, don’t tell the guy who actually watched the guys he hired install the wifi that you installed it. If you want people to believe that you know Oliver for non-green related activities, you need something believable but also something that no one will ever try to verify.

Her face fell a little at her lie being so easily exposed. “Oh,” she responded, “well, I did make some adjustments to it – your POS connections were too slow.”

He instantly felt like an ass for making her look that way. “Who should I thank for my credit card transactions processing faster?” Tommy teased, hoping to elicit another smile.

She pointed to herself, “Well, I did it. It’s not like I have employees – not that I shouldn’t because I’d be a far better boss than my boss – not Oliver – another boss, my immediate supervisor – he’s an idiot.”

Tommy’s eyes went wide as she continued to tell him everything but what he wanted to know, “What’s your name?”

She laughed nervously and rested her hand on her forehead, “Oh, wow. Yeah, I’m, Felicity Smoak.”

He extended his hand, “Well, Felicity Smoak, I’m Tommy Merlyn and I’d like to buy you a drink.”

Felicity sighed with relief, “Yes, please.”

Tommy poured her out a generous glass of Pinot Noir, “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” she was about to take a sip when she tilted her head to the side and looked at him. “May I buy you a drink? You look like you could use one as much as me.”

He pulled a wine glass from under the bar and poured himself a far less generous helping. He held up his glass, “A toast, to wine at two in the morning.”

“I’ll drink to that,” she clinked her glass against his.

“So, why do you need a glass of red so badly this early in the morning?”

“Since I haven’t been to bed yet, I prefer to think of it as late at night,” Felicity took a sip of wine, closed her eyes and sighed. When she reopened her eyes, they were clear and focused, “Oliver asked for help with something and I’m having a harder time getting him what he asked for than I anticipated. I think I’m on the right track, but I don’t need to be here while my code works, so I decided to go home and sleep for a few hours but then I thought what I really needed was a glass of wine. How about you?”

“A beautiful woman offered to buy me a drink, how could I refuse?” he easily fell into his charming playboy persona.

“Wow, did you and Oliver actually study that in school? Is it a class they offer to the incredibly wealthy and handsome?” she asked with mild disdain.

Tommy shifted uncomfortably under her intense and knowing gaze, “Sorry, flirting has become an occupational reflex.” He rested his forearms on top of the bar, “Gorgeous Laurel – is that what you call her?” When she nodded, he continued, “Well, gorgeous Laurel and I broke up. I quit my job, which is a shame because I really liked it. My recently back from the dead best friend is a murderer and wants to date my ex-girlfriend who, to be fair, was his girlfriend first and never stopped loving him even though he cheated on her with her baby sister. My father has denied me access to my allowance, which I realize is a pretty emasculating thing for a man my age to say. And, I’m currently homeless.” He smiled at her, “When I say it out loud,” he laughed, “it actually sounds worse than I thought. I should probably drink the rest of this bottle and find another.”

“That all sounds pretty awful. I’m sorry about you and Laurel. Not that I put much stock in what I read in the papers, but the two of you looked good together. I wish someone would look at me the way you and Oliver look at her.” She groaned and pushed her wine glass away from herself, “I clearly have had more than enough.”

“It’s not easy being in love with someone who is in love with someone else,” he was unsure if he was referring to Laurel or Oliver or both.

“I wouldn’t know,” she smiled sadly, “I’ve only been in love once and I’m pretty sure he was in love with me too.”

“Was?” Tommy pushed her wine glass back towards her, “What happened?”

“He died,” she took a sip of her wine, “three years ago.”

Tommy put his wine down and squeezed her hand, “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks,” she slipped her hand out from under his.

“I have to say Smoak, you’re not doing a very good job of cheering me up,” he looked at her mournfully.

“Might be why I haven’t had a date in a year,” she took a large gulp of wine.

“That seems like a travesty,” he winked at her. “Give me the 4-1-1 on Felicity Smoak. What would I learn about you on a first date?”

She bit her lip as she tried to think of what to tell him, “I grew up in Vegas. I’m an only child. I’m a genius. I went to MIT at fifteen and graduated four years later with two masters – computer science and cyber security. Went to work in the IT department at Queen Consolidated when I graduated. I have way too many pairs of shoes. I love science fiction, especially Doctor Who. I love red wine and mint chocolate chip ice cream. I’m allergic to peanuts. I’m Jewish. I can’t cook. I have a tendency to babble – a lot.”

Tommy laughed, “You must scare the shit out of most guys.”

“What? Guys don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses?” she sounded hurt.

“Stupid ones, maybe. Personally, I find smart women incredibly attractive, unfortunately, they’re usually smart enough to see through me.” Tommy smiled widely, “In my experience, I’m lucky if I can make it two weeks of just having sex before they realize they can’t find a thing to say to me and need to cut their losses.”

Felicity’s face grew serious, “Is that what happened to you and Laurel?”

Tommy gazed into the deep red of his wine glass and swirled it around, “No, Laurel and I might’ve started out being just about sex, but we never had a problem finding things to talk about. Things were always easy between us,” he laughed as he heard the words come out of his mouth. “Well, easy, except for one thing.”

“Oliver,” she said sympathetically. “Dating your back from the dead best friend’s ex-girlfriend must stir up a lot of feelings.”

“Yeah,” Tommy drained his glass.

“If you love her, you should fight for her,” Felicity said quietly.

“Trying to eliminate your competition?” Tommy asked bitterly.

Felicity picked up her purse and started walking towards the door, “Oliver and I are just friends. Thanks for the wine.”

Tommy ran his hands over his face, “Felicity, I’m sorry. That was completely uncalled for.”

She stopped halfway across the dance floor, “Life is short, Tommy. Don’t take for granted that the person you love will always be there. You need to tell them both how you feel, before it’s too late. Maybe she’ll choose you, maybe she won’t, but you won’t know if you decide for her.” She continued across the floor to the door. Her hand lingered on the handle for a few seconds before she turned to face him. “Don’t quit your job here. I know that you’re angry and hurt, but he needs you. He didn’t tell you about his mission because he was trying to protect you and he was afraid that he was going to lose you.”

“Well, he lost me anyway,” Tommy drained the wine left in Felicity’s glass. “I was a fool to think that after five years I’d get my Ollie back.”

“Are you the same man you were five years ago?” she challenged him. “He isn’t the boy you lost, but he isn’t the monster you accuse him of being, either. Talk to him. Listen to him.”

Tommy was speechless as he looked at the petite blonde. She was right. He wasn’t the same person that Ollie left behind. The moment he learned that the Gambit had been lost, he’d become someone else. The deaths of his mom and of Ollie had been the two most defining moments of his life and had shaped him into the man he was. He knew that terrible things must have happened to his best friend to make him believe that being a cold-blooded murderer was the only way to get justice, but it was only an excuse. Oliver was broken inside and Tommy didn’t know how to help fix him. He didn’t know if it was even possible or if Oliver even wanted help. “He made his choice. I’ve made mine.”

Felicity tilted her head and looked at him sadly, “That’s too bad. You’ve been friends your whole lives. It would be a shame to throw all of that away because of stubborn pride.” She gripped the strap of her purse, “Good night. It was nice to finally meet you.”

“It was nice meeting you too.” Remembering his manners, he moved out from behind the bar, “Let me walk you to your car. Even with a man in a hood wielding a bow and arrows, this city isn’t safe for a woman to be out on the streets in the middle of the night.”

Felicity looked like she was about to argue with him, but nodded her head in agreement instead, “Thanks.”

Tommy took one last look at the club he’d help to build. He’d never been so proud of any of his other accomplishments. Before Verdant, everything he’d achieved in life was done to try and please his dad. Nothing he did was ever enough. Walking away from what he’d created was almost as hard as leaving Laurel. Once again, Oliver was going to get everything and Tommy was going to be left wanting. Tommy turned the lights out, armed the alarm, locked the doors and followed Felicity out into the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> I put everyone through the emotional wringer with my last installment that had a hint about some angst I've yet to explore with Tommy. Before I get to that storyline, I will be posting "William" on Saturday. Yes, William is that William, but it will be a much different take from the one on the show. It is a bit of a monster at 12k words.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming.


End file.
